Our work in Myanmar
We’re working in Myanmar to create healthier and more resilient rural communities.
One in three children in Myanmar experience stunted growth due to malnutrition. The story behind these statistics is the great difficulty families have in providing adequate nutrition or earning an income that can support their growth, health and education.
Our five year SHAPE project is providing the tools and opportunities for better incomes and health outcomes.
Increased food and income security of farming communities
Increased economic resilience for women
Improved health of rural communities
Project Activities
We’re working in remote villages in Chin state to ensure families have the skills and resources they need to produce more nutritious and profitable crops, while at the same time taking better care of their environment.
This project will impact thousands of families by increasing their harvest through more productive and sustainable farming techniques, providing access to more profitable local and international markets and see innovative irrigation systems installed to allow a more diverse range of crops to be grown.
Match Funding
ADRA, with the support of our in-country partners will deliver this project and will provide 20% of all funding through our fundraising and supporter network. The New Zealand government will provide the remaining funds to implement the project.
Stories
Arkar's Story
My name is Arkar and I am 52 years old from Chin State. I have 11 family members including 6 sons, but not all live here.
In the past our main livelihood was shifting cultivation, primarily growing maize. During that time it was very difficult and there wasn’t always enough food for our village, sometimes there were shortages.
Because of this, we decided to change to Elephant Foot Yam farming which is very popular in our area, especially selling to the Chinese. We believed it would benefit our family.
It was very difficult to start and required a lot of hard work. We would find the seeds in the forest to plant but it would take several years for them
to grow big enough to sell. Each year it cost 20 lahks ($2,000 NZD) to grow Elephant Foot Yam, and I now have 15 acres. It was difficult on me and my family.
Recently, we heard about an ADRA project that provided training in new agriculture techniques and distributed different vegetable seeds. This inspired us to be more interested in agriculture.
ADRA introduced us to an Elephant Foot Yam cutting machine and washer which cuts labour time and is cheaper to manage. ADRA also provided us with a solar dryer which keeps the rain and dust off the sliced Yam while using the sun to dry it. In the past we depended on clear sunny skies, but in monsoon season we couldn’t dry the harvest well. The solar dryer has really improved our situation as farmers for time and cost.
Today, all farmers in my village have become Elephant Foot Yam farmers like me.
Story: Pyae Phyo Lin
Photo: Emma McCrow
ADRA Myanmar
